#jiang cheng study

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Lan Wangji Goes To Lotus Pier AU: Part 1: Dread on Arrival

(Part 2)

[buyoump3]

(— THE WATER LAPS AT HIS ANKLES AND IT IS SO TERRIBLY COLD.)

for @pendraegon (x)

[itscherryterry-again]

i can fix them [said with motherly intent]

[benevolenterrancy]

okay, since I've finished the books, I've been watching bits and pieces of the show. among the many wild changes it includes, my favourite so far is definitely Nie Huaisang smuggling an entire ass bird into the Gusu lectures in his sleeve, what a legend

also the fact that Meng Yao is directly behind him for all of this and is, presumably, having a conniption...

[wangxian-the-zhijis]

So I rewatched the confrontation scene between Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng, and Lan Zhan in the Jiang Ancestral Hall.

In the novel, Jiang Cheng mocked the fact that what Wei Ying and Lan Zhan have for each other is romantic and not just that of friends. And people kept saying that this scene in the novel has more impact etc etc… because Jiang Cheng really insulted them that they’re in love. I’m not going to invalidate that… but I’m just going to explain why this scene in the drama has a great impact too.

In the drama, Jiang Cheng insulted their great friendship. I haven’t seen people point this out… but what Jiang Cheng really said didn’t mean the usual “friendship.” He could have said “友誼” or “交情” which means the type of friendship we’re all aware of.

But Jiang Cheng didn’t say any of those! He said “知己 (zhiji)” or “confidant” or “soulmate”— the very word that both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan say lovingly to each other (in the drama).

Jiang Cheng said: “为什么要道歉？为侮辱了你们这段伟大的知己之情吗？”

为什么 - why ; 要 - will (I) ; 道歉 - apologize ; 为 - for ; 侮辱 - insulting ; 了 - indicates past tense ; 你们 - your (plural) ; 这段 - this ; 伟大 - great ; 的 - of ; 知己 - confidant/intimate friend/soulmate ; 之情 - feeling/emotion; 吗 - indicating a question.

If we translate Jiang Cheng’s words directly, it would say, “Why will I apologize? For having insulted this great soulmate thing of yours?”

Note that 知己 isn’t commonly used in spoken language. It’s mostly seen in written texts only. But Wei Ying and Lan Zhan made 知己 their endearment for each other. Jiang Cheng used that very special and emotional word and tarnished it with his acrid mouth. He wasn’t just insulting their love but he insulted what they are to each other— the very nature of their relationship. (He wasn’t insinuating that they might be in love. He was outright attacking them for what they are.) He even emphasized the insult by adding 偉大 or ‘great’ sarcastically.

That’s why Wei Ying immediately lashed out. Because how dare Jiang Cheng ruin that special word he has with Lan Zhan?!

[travalerray]

Jiang Fengmian, seeing his son and head disciple trussed up with his wife's special whip: new game? :D

[orlofsky]

Anywhere else I'd be a ten!

[fistfuloflightning]

How was I supposed to know that you were were not the one?

[lurkinginnernarrator]

Honestly MXTX is a master comedian.

" Wei Wuxian preened. “Get outta here!” Then he turned his head and asked, “Lan Zhan, you’re from Gusu. You know how to speak the dialect, right? Teach me, how do you tell someone off in the Gusu dialect?”

Lan Wangji threw him a single word, “frivolous,” then boarded a different boat. Wei Wuxian hadn’t really expected him to answer in the first place. He just thought the kittenish local dialect was incredibly fun and that Lan Wangji must’ve spoken it since he was young, so he was having fun teasing him.

He tossed back a gulp of the sticky rice liquor. Then, with the round, black, shiny little jug dangling from his fingers, he picked up the bamboo pole and lunged over to fight Jiang Cheng.

Lan Wangji, on the other hand, stood side by side with Lan Xichen. This time, both wore similar expressions, each appearing laden with thoughts as they contemplated how to handle the Waterborne Abyss—and how to inform the mayor of Caiyi Town of the many follow-up arrangements to be made. A heavily loaded cargo boat approached them from the boat’s front, laden with baskets upon baskets heavy with golden loquats. Lan Wangji glanced at it and continued to look squarely to the front. Lan Xichen, however, said, “Shall we buy a basket of loquats, if you want to try some?”

“…”

Lan Wangji swept his sleeve and turned. “I do not!” Then he boarded a different boat, again. "

-MDZS Book I, Chapter 4: The Elegant Flirt

[haifoct]

Somewhere at the back of the mountain, where Lan er Gongzi feels especially safe and free, he rests on his wicked rabbit's lap.

dear tiny chengzhan during jiang wanyin’s study at cloud recesses commissioned from extremely talented tehwi3 on twitter

[ao3screenshotss]

does anyone have some fanart that they really love? im looking for new backgrounds and i always find that fanart is much prettier for backgrounds than the ones that i find when i look online for backgrounds

[carrot-felisidad]

Why I prefer my pookie as bottom?

(answering the question you never asked)

Because FANFICTION or even ORIGINAL WORKS in general are usually bottom-centric. If Jiang Cheng is the bottom in a fic, there will be detailed idealization of his pain and suffering and as a bottom, the story will promise him a gentle care and acknowledgement of a Top (aka Lan Xichen), which will nourish me as a reader of course. I will always prefer a pookie-centric fic, sorry I don't make the rules. Lan Xichen also has his own pain, (dare I say he got one of the most tragic ending in canon), but he's not my pookie, so... Sorry man. I can't ship Jiang Cheng with Nie Huaisang because NHS is also my pookie and if they're in a fic together I will combust.

And that's why I ship XiCheng and not SangCheng. I have no care of the canon and the chemistry, I just want the purple man to bottom.

Thank you for reading my important feature essay.

[raddestrose]

Knowing what Wei Wuxian was the class clown makes so much sense now

[navarice]

my dearest fellow mdzs stans, i really don't want to spoil anyone's fun but sometimes some things must be said. please do NOT mistake fanon characteristics for canon characteristics because by GOD is it frustrating to dissect a character when all anyone wants to do is blindly turn away from the very vivid and metastasizing flaws.

jiang cheng is an extremely complicated character, and that's why we love him. but by god, he is a jealous, self-victimizing asshole with a massive inferiority complex who likes to torture (probably) innocent look-a-likes of his (as far as he knew) dead adjacent family member. jesus christ this isn't some simple case of miscommunication (well it is but, you know no amount of communication will ever mend the giant chasm that developed between them. especially not with asians raised within the most classical case of asian parenting, i mean come on now) but a matter of deep and intense self-loathing developed since early childhood projecting violently outwards. let me be clear. he hates wei wuxian. he loathes him. he wants to kill him with his own hands again and again so some part of his convoluted sense of justice and superiority will be fulfilled. he's a classist, a bully, and abusive to everyone around him. ong at the end of mdzs, i was nearly crying tears of joy when jin guangyao flayed him flat on his ass bc that man needed to hear it. he needed to feel it. he needed to stop blaming others and blame himself.

and!! he's homophobic!! the entire cultivation world is, yes, but he's the only one we see give wei ying and lan zhan active shit for it!!

point is...his complexity makes him interesting. as a child, he was pretty alright tbh. he was understandably upset when three of his dogs got taken away and he saw his dad give a completely random kid such a gentle hug when jiang cheng never received one so far. he was a kid, and it was sad and helped the readers get a glimpse at the already dysfunctional family dynamics before wei ying came into the picture. as an adolescent/teen, yes he had a lot of unresolved rage and inferiority issues building up when he was constantly being compared to wei wuxian by his mother and not given enough reassurance from his father (once again, all present before wei ying...everyone just likes to dump the shit on him bc it's easier to point fingers at others than at yourself). perhaps he could have turned out differently if literally either of his parents stepped up and took accountability. however, after the burning of lotus pier? after the golden core transfer? after wei ying stuck around as his subordinate just as he promised, and protected jiang cheng like he promised, and defected just to save the yunmeng clan's reputation so jiang cheng doesn't have to put up with the other clan's shit, still continuing to keep his promise? after wei ying's death? idk abt y'all, but all bets are off bro.

mxtx makes it a point to make him so irredeemable. he's an exploration of what can go wrong if you let your traumas, self-hatred, and revenge fantasies blind you. he has the worst traits of his parents for a reason, directly contrasting with the other sibling, who is a perfect picture of eldest daughters born into a dysfunctional family. jiang yanli has the best traits of her parents (in terms of compassion and standing up for her family), but the family dynamics also made her the way she was. the responsible, the mediator, the occasional mother, stepping in where madam yu cannot.

there's just so much potential to hold him accountable buried under the pretense of misunderstandings and kinnie moments. he just had so many chances, more than any other character, to make a different choice. to actually look past his misgivings and unlearn the bad habits he used to protect himself as a child. i'm not saying he has to magically heal from all his traumas, but at the very least know not to be like his parents. but he wasn't written that way. because that is what happens when you give into your insecurities and generational trauma.

bottom line: jiang cheng is a fantastic archetype that needs to be explored in all his authenticity, including his moments of loyalty and cruelty.

[apiratefellinlovewithastar]

Do you think Jiang Cheng loves Jin Ling so much because aside from raising him as his own child and being his only living family, he is also the only thing he has left from his siblings?

He is half A-Li, and A-Ying gave him his name.